Vehicle spring construction



Sept. 25,1923. 1,469,057

- E. M. TOTZKE VEHICLE, SPRING CONSTRUCTION v Fiied June 24 hfillllllllllll Patented Sept 25,

martin. To'rzKn, or en. aosnrrr, MI H GAN.

VEHICLE sen-me oons'rnUcrIon.

Application filed June 24 T allwlwmztmay concern: H Be it known thatL EMILM. To'r'zKn,"a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of St. Joseph, Berrien County, State of Miclnoan. have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Vehicle Spring Constructions, of which the r following is a specification. 1

llhis'inrention relates to vehicle springs in general, but more particularly to those employe'd'on motor vehicles, and especially imposed on i-the axle of the vehicle.

Generally stated, the object of the inventionis to provide a novel and effective spring device whioh'can be applied to the leaf springs ofthe vehicle, as sort of supplemental shock absorber, thereby to reduce'vibration and minimize the shocks ordinarily produced when a motor vehicle travels over a rough road or'strilres an obstruction. f i w It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction and combinations tending to increase" the general efi iciencyand the desirability of an auxiliary spring'device or shock absorber of this particular character. n 1

To theseand other useful ends, the in vention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the acconr' panying drawings, in which: Figure 1' is a side elevation of a vehicle spring'having' a shock absorber embodying the principles of the invention. i

Figure 2 is-an enlarged side elevationpf said shock absorber or auxiliary spring device. I

Figure 3 is aplan of the construction shown in Figure2; f

As thus illustrated, the automobile or other vehicle may have a-body frame or chassis 1 of any suitable or desired character. As shown, the leaf springs of the vehicle are of the kind in which each complete spring comprises an upper half section 2 secured to the frame by bolts or clips 3, and a lower 1 thereto.

, 1921f senniro. 480,002.

ew EC has its freewend bent downward and provided V with a pivot?) which supports the'leVerEO, it being understood that both the bell crank 8 and the lever 1 10 are preferably made double to embrace the leaf'spring'fsections to' which they are-attached The width of the leafsprings 2 and 4C, of course,-is;immaterial, and may be just what isordinary or usual in motor vehicles of this kind,'and

in any event the double levers 8 and-10will be wide enough to embrace the leaf springs 2 and'e, so that one-half of the leverB is "at one side of these leaf springs while' the other half is at theotherside, with the two halves disposed close enough together; to allow the arrangement tooperate without undue friction against thele'ai springs; and

the two halves or the lever" 10 are correspondingly arranged at opposite 'sides of the leaf springs; but the coil spring12 with this arrangement is disposed in the vertical plane of the two leafspringg 2 and 4,, and thelea'i spring 2 is embraced by-vboth of the levers 8 and 10, and this is alsotrue of the leai spring i, and the latter is also embraced by the two halves of each lever. The bejll crank 8 and the lever 10 are p'ivot'allycon nected together at 11,-and their other'ends' are connected by a coil spring 12, which is a tension spring,=of cou-rs"e,as'i't sustains a tensile strain insteadof a compression strain when the" load; weight is communicated The toggle joint 11 is,*of course, above the lower member 4, so that the latter is held'between the sides of the lever 10, as shown. In otherjwords, the load weight is communicated to the section 2'01 the leaf spring, then to the'pivot 9, then'to the lever 10,then to the spring 12, then to the upper end portion 13 (the portion 13 forms 'a guide for spring 2) ofthe bell cra'nln'then'to the pivot 14 of said bell crank, and'then from the later to the pivot 11 which connects the two levers together, whereby a loadweight tends to. exert a pull on'the spring 12,and the latter thus serves as a shock absorber to minin'iize the vibration The sides of "the portion 13 form a guidein Whichthe rear end portion of the upper member 2 is free to move up and down and is held against lurching sidewise out of line with the lower member 4;, as the upper member engages the sides of the portion 13close to the pivot 14, so that the connection is not flimsy, but will hold the two leaf springs in alinement vertically against side lurch, even should the spring 12 break. In addition, of course,

the load weight is communicated from the section 2 of the leaf spring to the pivot 9. and from the latter to the pivot 11 and finally to the pivot 14", so that the load weight is communicated to the lower section 4 of the leaf spring, whereby the two sections of the leaf spring-- andthecoilispriug 12 of the shock absorber or auxiliary spring device are in the same vertical plane and co- Operate jandyconjointly sustain the; load weight and reduce or minimize the-vibration andshock resulting from the: passage otthe vehicle over a rough road or overan obstruction, The guide 13 for the upper member 2 forms no part of the'connection from 1 1 to 11 and from-11 to 9, asthis guide could be, omitted ior broken off 'without said members 2 ande may be of any suit able or desired character. The pivotal o1- -toggle joint. 11,. as shown very clearly in.

Figures 11 and '2, is notionlyabove the'lea-f springit, but is below the leaf spring 2.

which latter shows extending above in Figure 3 of the drawing. The pivotal con;-

' nections for, the leversmay be: of any suitablechara-cter, of course, and. may be formed: by hingin g or pivotal, means of any suitable-character, but it isimp'ortant that the different pivotal points be located substantially as shown and described, and it is especially important that the joint 11 be disposed between the upper. and lower leaf springs, and thistis the reason-that the toggle end of thelever 10- is turned up at its front end, or at its end nearest the/axle, so, that the guide 151 will beformed for the lower leaf spring a, and so that the joint 11-w-ill be normally at the point indicated, thereby to ensure the des'ired'result.

It will be seen that the pivotal connection N between the-upper and lower springs 2 and 4, forms a knuckle joint 11 which projects or extends toward the axle upon which the lower springs rests when the vehicle i in wardly in the opposite. direction.

use. The other ends of. the pivotal connection extend in the opposite direction, or

away from the axle, to'a pointwherethey are connected by the spring 12, so that the knuckle joint of the pivotal f connection forms, one endthereof and extends toward the axle, while the free ends of'the two immediately in rear of the upper spring member 2, or immediatelyf in front thereof,-

depending upon whether the spring arrange;- ment shown is at the; front or at the rear ofthe vehicle, inasmuch as the axle 5', may be either the front orj'thc rear axle'of an automobile or of another vehicle:

' It will be seen that the arrangement of the spring and 'levers is advantageous-in various ways. For example, the spring does not hang down below theleaf spring garrl is not in. position to strike on anything below. Furthermore, the spring12 is directly in rear of the leafspring 2, and the levers are compartivelythin and close to the sides, of'theileaf springs, so that the gasoline tank of any automobile, as for example the well known Dodge car, will notinterferein any way with the action of the shock; absorber thus constructed and applied to the rear springs of the vehicle. I What I claim as my invention is:

The, combination; of vehicle; body frame,

an upper leat springsecured thereto,

lower leaf pringhaving one end; connected to'sa-id frame, an'axle on which saidlolwer member rests,- levers piyoted'between; their ends on the adjacent end-sot said; springs, a pivotal connection bet-ween said-levers;

forming a knuckle joint 11 disposed above 'the lowerleaf spring and projecting toward said axle, and a singleicoil' spring; disposedin the'verticalplaneof said leaf springs and tretched-between the endsot said levers, which project outwardly in opp'ositedirec tionto sustaima tensile? strain when. a load We g is imposed on aid-trammcne lever forming an upwardly extending guidealfi in which saidupper leaf spring is freetoe-inove 7 E ILL rorz nn. 

